How to Succeed in Spellcasting Without Really Trying
by It'sNotEasyBeingQueen
Summary: Sequel to "Spellbound" and "You Smiled, and Then the Spell Was Cast": Kurt has been trying for years to remove the spell that turned Santana into a cat. Will Blaine be the key to finally breaking the curse?


How to Succeed in Spellcasting Without Really Trying

 _A/N: I cannot believe it has been a year since I first posted "Spellbound" and its sequel, "You Smiled, and Then the Spell Was Cast." With Halloween once again upon us, I felt it was time for the threequel. I hope you enjoy revisiting Kurt, Blaine and Santana in this next installment of their story! (PS – despite the title, this has nothing to do with the musical. I just got a kick out of the idea and went with it.)_

The steady patter of raindrops against the windowpane of _Spellbound_ hadn't relented all morning. It wasn't weather that was conducive to good business on a Saturday, but Kurt didn't really mind. He was perfectly content with the occupancy of the shop at present.

After all, who could complain when their charming, handsome, amazing boyfriend was seated at the beautiful antique Steinway upright just across the way? Kurt smiled as Blaine's fingers deftly danced across the keys, playing something, he was sure, but nothing that he could name.

"Vampires?" Blaine called out, not missing a note but pulling Kurt from his musing and back into their conversation.

"Nope," Kurt replied, chuckling at their game. Blaine insisted that if witches were real, it only stood to reason that some of the other beings generally thought to be fictional must be real, as well. He subsequently launched a game of asking Kurt about every type of creature he could, and Kurt had agreed to answer him truthfully.

Of course, Kurt knew that pretty much every "fairy tale" creature was the result of folklore and imagination, but the game was fun, and he was indulging his own amusement as much as Blaine's curiosity. If nothing else, it made the time pass more quickly while Kurt did mundane business paperwork.

"Werewolves?"

"Myth."

"Wizards?" Blaine countered, turning around to catch Kurt's eye with an extremely hopeful look on his face.

"Only in the basements of the mothers of nerdy teenagers playing D&D," Kurt declared.

"Darn," Blaine huffed, rising from the piano bench and crossing to the counter where Kurt was working. He rested his elbows against the marble top, looking disappointed. "I was hoping J. K. Rowling had gotten that one right."

"The only thing she succeeded in doing was making a _lot_ of money. Sorry, sweetie," Kurt consoled, leaning over the counter to kiss Blaine on the cheek.

Blaine shyly looked down, slightly embarrassed by his enthusiasm for _Harry Potter_. With an awkward cough, he immediately changed the subject. "So, any new leads on helping Santana?" Kurt had obtained some new books recently, and had been spending quite a bit of time poring over them.

Kurt let out a heavy sigh, glancing toward the window seat where the lithe black cat lay sleeping. "No, nothing. I'm not entirely through the new volumes, but it all feels so… _hopeless_ sometimes, you know?" he said quietly in case Santana's sleep wasn't as deep as it appeared.

"I'm sorry," Blaine offered, reaching out and laying his hand on Kurt's arm. "I know it must be hard for you, but you're trying, and she knows that." The professor looked over at the cat, as well. "It must be hard for her too, I'd imagine," he added.

Kurt scoffed lightly. "You think? She's a _cat_ , Blaine."

"No, no. I don't mean about that. Well, obviously, that isn't easy," he rambled. "But…she's so independent and strong. It must be so difficult for her to have to rely on someone else to fix this for her."

Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion. "We decided a long time ago to have me work on breaking the curse. You know her magic is different than mine, and spellcasting isn't really her strongest suit." Kurt had explained to Blaine in the past that while Santana was just as much of a witch as Kurt, her greatest talent was her gift of the second sight.

Blaine sighed. "I know. Still, I think she's the type of person who would want to do this for herself."

Suddenly, the wheels in Kurt's mind began spinning wildly. "Blaine," he breathed out, his eyes flying open wide as the excitement overtook him. "Blaine! You're a genius!" he exclaimed, taking Blaine's face in his hands and kissing him soundly.

"I don't know what I did," Blaine laughed, "but I'll take it," he replied, kissing Kurt back.

Kurt broke the kiss and pushed back from the counter. "I've got so much to do, so much…" he mumbled, mostly to himself. "Can you come back tonight around eleven?" he asked, suddenly helping Blaine with his jacket and guiding him towards the door.

A flustered Blaine shuffled along, not entirely understanding what was happening. "Come back? I'm leaving?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I need to do some major research and preparation. I'm afraid you'll be a very lovely, tempting distraction. Eleven?"

"Sure…um, okay," Blaine agreed, hustling out the door with his boyfriend's hands firmly but affectionately shoving him out while passing him an umbrella at the same time. "Eleven it is," he managed to say as the door clicked shut.

Kurt clapped his hands together as he turned from the door, but paused when he heard the little silver bell above it jingle. "I'm sorry, we're clos…" he began, only to be met with a warm pair of lips.

"Good luck, Kurt," Blaine murmured once they parted. "See you tonight," he added with a wink before slipping back out the door. Kurt hoped he would never get used to the flutter in his stomach whenever Blaine did that.

For now, flutters would have to wait. "Come on, Santana," he called to his feline friend, who stretched and hopped down from her perch. "We've got work to do."

xoxoxo

At eleven o'clock on the dot, Blaine returned to the shop. The sales floor was mostly dark, lit only by a faint glow coming from the back room where Kurt did his private research. "Hello?" he called out. He was expected, but years of private school manners precluded him from entering unannounced.

"We're here. Come on back," Kurt's voice rang from the rear of the store.

Blaine called an affirmation, then turned back to lock the door. He had thought it odd that the door had not been locked when he arrived, allowing him to walk right in. Just as he was about to turn the latch, he noticed that it appeared to be in the "lock" position already. He tested the door handle, and sure enough, it was locked tight. Blaine smirked, deciding that being a witch was better than any security system money could buy.

He entered the work room and looked around in wonder. The room was softly lit by a number of candles and a small lantern at the center of the large wooden table. A book was perched on a book stand at the end of the table, and a rather weathered wooden bowl, which appeared to be filled with dried herbs of some sort, sat in front of it.

"Hi, honey," Kurt greeted him, accepting Blaine's swift kiss in reply. Blaine's eyes swept over Kurt, taking in the sight of his boyfriend clad in a long black coat, a shimmering midnight blue shirt, tight black pants, and shiny black boots. Noticing Blaine's stare, Kurt stepped back and spun around slowly. "You like?" he asked, his voice low.

"Oh, please, do I have to witness this?" Santana's sharp voice drew Blaine's attention as she approached from the far end of the room. She was similarly dressed, but in a short, deep blue dress with a long, flowing black coat, black stockings, and high-heeled black boots.

"Hi, San," Blaine apologized sheepishly.

"Hey there, Hobbit," Santana returned.

Blaine's head snapped up quickly. "Kurt? Hobbits?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm not dignifying that with a response," he sniffed, turning on his heel and stepping over to the table, pretending to read something from the book.

"It wasn't a 'no'," Blaine stage-whispered to Santana, who laughed despite herself. Kurt smiled inwardly. The unlikely friendship between them was a wonderful surprise. It warmed his heart that his two favorite people got along so well.

"Come on, you two. We've got to get started," Kurt instructed. Blaine came to stand at his side, while Santana took a spot across the table facing the two of them.

"So what exactly is it we need to start?" Blaine inquired.

"We're going to break the curse on Santana, of course," Kurt answered.

"What? You figured it out?" Blaine asked excitedly.

Kurt took his hand. "Actually, _you_ figured it out."

"Me?" Blaine blurted in shock at the same time Santana cried, "Him?" in the same tone of disbelief.

"Yes, you," Kurt affirmed. "This morning, you said that it must be difficult for Santana to not be able to break the curse herself. This whole time, I have been the one trying to cast the spell to fix things. I realized that the only constant in every failed attempt has been me."

"Kurt," Blaine cooed, stroking Kurt's arm, thinking that his boyfriend was upset with himself.

"No, no, you misunderstand," Kurt continued. "I don't mean that. I mean that the one thing we haven't tried," he paused for effect, looking over at Santana, "is having _you_ cast the spell."

"Kurt, no," Santana protested. "You know I can't. I'm not strong enough to do that."

"And _that_ attitude is what Sue was counting on when she cursed you," Kurt argued back. "She turned you into a cat to keep you from performing any magic on your own. She had to have known that there would be a way for someone else – like me – to turn you back into a human. However, she also knew that the one area you were vulnerable was your insecurity about your spellcasting abilities." Santana crossed her arms, not liking the lecture but interested nonetheless.

"So," Kurt explained, tying all the loose ends of his theory together, "she built a failsafe into the curse. If, by chance, someone else found a way to turn you back, it wouldn't stick. The only way to break the curse permanently would be for you to cast the spell yourself. As a cat, you couldn't – and she counted on the fact that as a human, you wouldn't try."

The room was silent for a moment as Kurt let the other two process Kurt's theory. "So," Blaine said slowly, "if Santana does the spell herself…"

"…the curse will break forever," Santana finished, awestruck.

Kurt smiled widely. "Exactly."

"Oh, my god," Santana muttered under her breath.

Kurt held out his hand across the table for his friend. "Shall we begin?"

xoxoxo

Midnight was approaching. Kurt had gone through the spell with Santana carefully, making sure she understood each step and the proper intonation of every word. Blaine sat quietly, fascinated by the process but wanting to ensure he didn't interfere. In fact, he was wondering why he was even present. After all, he had no skill or magic to contribute. Nervously, he sipped the glass of water he'd poured for himself while Kurt gave his instructions.

"So why is your pretty pony here, Kurt?" Santana inquired. Blaine squirmed in his seat, wondering if Santana's "second sight" included the ability to read minds. "I don't see where this spell calls for the blood of a virgin preppy professor, so I really don't know what he has to offer."

Kurt patted Blaine's back as he choked on his water. Once he confirmed that Blaine was not, in fact, going to drown at the table, he took his hand, coaxing him to rise and stand beside him once more. "Haven't you ever heard of the Power of Three?"

"Oh, ha ha," Blaine deadpanned. "No need to make fun of me with a _Charmed_ reference, Kurt." When Kurt didn't respond, Blaine's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Seriously? Of all the stuff I've asked you, you've said everything was fictional, but the Power of Three from _Charmed_ is real?"

"What can I say? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again," Kurt shrugged. "Now give me your hand. It's almost midnight."

"Is it important to do this at midnight for some reason?" Blaine couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"Not really, but a little theatricality never hurt anyone," Kurt winked.

He led Blaine around to the end of the table, standing so he had Blaine on one side and Santana on the other. They all faced the book, the text of which Blaine was seeing for the first time. It was written in a language that he'd never seen before.

"Blaine, keep a hold of my hand and concentrate on what Santana says. Focus on her, and put your energy towards helping her." At Blaine's concerned look, he squeezed his hand gently. "Trust me. You'll know what to do."

Turning his attention to Santana, he took a hold of her hand, as well, feeling it tremble slightly. "You've got this," he encouraged.

With a nod and a deep breath, Santana began.

She lifted a candle from the table with her free hand and tipped it to touch the flame to the dried herbs in the bowl. Blaine feared that he bowl would catch fire, but only the herbs burned, releasing an earthy odor into the air. Santana returned the candle to its place, and read a couple of phrases from the book in what sounded vaguely like Latin. She then turned and reached out with her hand. It took Blaine a minute to realize she reaching for him. She looked at him impatiently, and he hurriedly took her outstretched hand, hoping she wouldn't sink her fingernails into him for being slow on the uptake.

"Focus," Blaine heard Kurt whisper. Whether it was to him or Santana, he wasn't sure, but he closed his eyes and did his best to concentrate as Santana began to recite the spell.

"Oh aged curse that once was cast, release thy hold on me at last. Have power over me no more, and my true form to me restore."

With the last syllable of the last word, the large grandfather clock by the front door began to chime, striking midnight. Blaine felt both Kurt and Santana hold his hands a little tighter. He opened his eyes to find them both looking upwards as a strong gust of wind blew through the room. The lights from the candles flickered and the pages of the book flipped back and forth. As suddenly as it had begun, the wind stopped, the last bell of the hour chimed, and everything was quiet. Santana took a cleansing breath and released both Kurt and Blaine's hands. Kurt let go of Blaine's hand, but slid the hand around his waist instead, pulling him close to his side.

"Thank you," he murmured into Blaine's hair.

"Um, you're welcome?" Blaine responded, confused. "Did…did it work? Is that it?"

"We'll know right about…" Kurt glanced at the small clock on a shelf in the corner, "…now."

By now, Kurt knew exactly how long his spell would last to keep Santana human. They'd done it enough times that he could time it to the minute.

They looked over to Santana to find her glaring at Kurt. "What!" she yelled. "You cut it a little close there, didn't you, Hummel? I swear…" she began to speak in rapid Spanish. Blaine wasn't fluent, but he knew enough to know that most of the words weren't very kind.

"Uh, San?" Kurt interrupted, smirking despite the insults now being hurled at him in a mixture of English, Spanish, and what Blaine could swear was Gaelic, for some reason.

"What," she spat.

"It's 12:02. If you were going to change back, it would have happened by now."

Santana opened her mouth to continue her rant, but closed it again as the import of Kurt's words sunk in. "I'm…you mean, I…"

Kurt's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he nodded. "You did it. You're free," he choked out.

Santana screamed in delight and rushed forward, nearly tackling Kurt to the ground in a hug. Blaine stood back to let them have their moment, trying not to cry himself.

"Oh, come here, you little Muggle," Santana ordered, grabbing Blaine by the arm and dragging him into a group hug.

They hugged, and laughed, and hugged some more. Santana declared it cause for celebration and demanded that Kurt produce a bottle of champagne, which he did happily. They sat up long into the night, talking and rejoicing. Kurt couldn't hold back his grin watching his dear friend make plans for the first time in decades. It was truly a wondrous night.

But, all good things must end, and it was eventually time for them all to go home.

"Oh, crap," Santana groused.

"What's the matter?" Blaine asked.

"Well, I can't exactly sleep on that pillow in the shop tonight, now can I?" she snapped.

"Santana, you can stay with me," Kurt offered immediately. "I've got an extra room. We've been together this long, I can't imagine you being anywhere else."

The beautiful witch sighed dramatically. "Oh, I suppose," she teased, rolling her eyes when Kurt clapped excitedly. "But don't you only have one bed? After all this time, I'm not spending my first night as a human on your couch."

Blaine cleared his throat hesitantly. "Um, Kurt? You could, uh…" he paused and blushed, noting the smirk on Santana's face. He couldn't believe he had to do this in front of her. "You could stay at mine tonight. Only if you want to, I mean. I don't want to push or anything…"

A slow, beautiful smile spread across Kurt's face. This would be another first for them, as they hadn't yet spent the night at one another's home. "Professor Anderson, are you inviting me for a sleepover?" he sing-songed, swinging their joined hands between them.

"Careful, shorty. He'll be braiding your hair and giving you a manicure before you know it," Santana interjected. "Come on, you two. Auntie Tana needs her beauty rest." She took each of them by the arm and led them out of the shop.

There was an exchange of keys and hugs goodbye, then Santana was off walking to Kurt's nearby apartment ("No, you are not walking me. I'm a powerful witch who can handle herself, remember?") and the young couple were headed to Blaine's car. As Blaine reached to open the door, Kurt stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Thank you for helping Santana, Blaine. Truly, it is quite an amazing gift you gave her tonight." Kurt's eyes shone in the moonlight in a way that could only be described as otherworldly.

"My pleasure. Really," he returned softly. "Oh, and Kurt?"

"Yes, Blaine?" Kurt said expectantly, hanging on every word of his marvelous boyfriend.

"I have one more "fairy tale creation" to ask you about," he teased, making air quotes with his fingers at the appropriate time.

Kurt barely suppressed an eye roll. Really? In this heartfelt, romantic moment, Blaine wanted to know about what – trolls? Goblins? Dumbledore?

"I promise, it's the last one," Blaine continued, his voice soft and quiet. "There's this one thing that I've read about, but I've never known if it actually existed, and I really, really want to know if it's real."

"Fine," Kurt acquiesced with a frustrated breath. "What is it?"

Blaine stepped close, cupping Kurt's cool cheek in his warm palm, looking deeply into his eyes. "The last one is…true love?"

All of Kurt's annoyance melted away instantly. He moved to close the small distance between them, whispering without hesitation just before their lips met, "Real. Completely, absolutely real."

 _A/N: I hope you had as much fun with this as I did. Disclaimer: I know nothing about witchcraft and did absolutely zero research regarding the spellcasting scene. I simply aimed to create a little atmosphere and wanted to keep it light. Forgive my cheesy rhyming skills, please. Happy Halloween, everyone. Now more than ever, be kind to yourselves and to one another._


End file.
